Go Drive & Camp May 2019

http://www.weg.co.za go! Drive&CampMay2019|^67

T

he Houwhoek and Mount Hebron

naturereserves aresituatedonthe

southwesterntip of theHottentots

Holland Mountains andat thetop

end of the BotriverLagoon near Hermanus.

Theposh Arabella golfestateisalsonearb y,

but ifyouprefer off-roadingto golf carting,

you’ll be stoppingonthe opposite side ofthe

R43 regionalroad.

At Honingklip theyfarmwith proteas,

pomegranates and olives, butyou’re here

for the 4x4routethrough the farm’sprivate

nature reserve.Parkyour vehicleatt he

brewery shortlyafterentering themain

gate. Across the parking lot isakiosk where

youcan writeout your ownpermit,sign

an indemnity formand placecash inan

envelope.This is where youalsoneed to

loweryour tyre pressure–1,8 barshouldbe

enough–becauseyou’re heading for deep

sandand sharpstones...

Pleasure or pain?

With thefarm ’s packing sheds toyour

right, drive through pomegranate orchards

and afew shallowstreams. Ifyour vehicle

struggles here,immediatelythrow in the

towel, becausethingsaregoingtoget far

tougherup ahead. Afterabout 2km, the trail

starts to slither likealizardto your leftand

right. Dotted around the trail are mounds of

earth,atree stump,amudhole andaslope

to challengeyour climbingability .Next to

each obstacle isan escaperouteincase your

vehicle failstomakeitt hrough.

Shortly after this tortuoussection,you

come across asandpit as big as tworugby

field s. Hereyou mayhop afew dunesand

honeyour sand-driving skills.Above this

playground is an ir rigation dam inwhich

youmay cool off.You can also braai here,

but it’sforbidden to drive on thedam wall.

If youhaven’tstruggledthus fa r, it’stime

to head up themountain.If, ho wever,you

foun dthissectionchalle nging,youmay

want to return to the brewery andsoothe

your ego withacoldbeer.

Ain’tnomountainhighenough

Honingkliprates its 4x4 trail asagrade 2to

3onthe difficulty scale. There are, however,

some obstacles thatqualify as an extreme >

Honingklip 4x4route

KogelbergNatureReserver

Houwhoek

NatureReserve

Vogelgat

NatureReserve

R43

R44

R44 R320

R320

R316

R43 R43

Betty’s Bay Kleinmond

Hermanus

N2

N2

N2

Caledon